Patch Bay Layout

PART 6: Possession of a patchbay marks the difference between a conglomeration of miscellaneous equipment and a versatile working studio. David Mellor explains how to design your own patchbay layout.

Smarter than the average pitch shifter?

David Mellor assesses the musical intelligence of the DigiTech IPS33 SmartShift intelligent pitch shifter.

MIDI-SMPTE Synchroniser

David Mellor, reviewer of the original J.L Cooper PPS1 'Poor Person's SMPTE' unit, looks at the new rackmount PPS100 - the Professional Person's SMPTE unit.

Studio Layout & Acoustics

PART 7: Badly positioned equipment in your home studio can mean the difference between a good working environment and a bad one. This month, David Mellor provides some useful guidelines to help make your home studio as efficient as possible.

PART 1: New England Digital's Synclavier is the world's most expensive musical instrument, bar the odd 300 year old Stradivarius. But more than that, it can be a recording studio, a post-production system, a music engraver, a scientific research tool... and more. The Synclavier is at the leading edge of musical technology. David Mellor sets out on a voyage of discovery.

Sony DTC M100

David Mellor compares the new Sony DTC M100 Digital Audio Tape recorder with the studio industry standard - the Sony DTC 1000ES.

Questions & Answers

PART 8: David Mellor expands on some of the points that have arisen so far in the series and looks at some alternative patchbays from Connectronics.

PART 2: David Mellor explores the sampling capabilities of the world’s most expensive musical instrument - the Synclavier.

The 8-Track Challenge

The 8-track challenge: with the release of a new Tascam machine and the recent price cut on the Fostex E8, we thought it opportune to compare the two models. David Mellor adjudicates in the battle of the budget 8-tracks.

Bits & Pieces

PART 9: It is easy to list all the glamorous' items required for a home studio - synths, sampler, mixing console, tape machines, etc - but the small things are important too. In this final part of the series, David Mellor gathers together all those essential bits and pieces.

PART 3: What is it like to sit down at the Synclavier - the world's most expensive instrument - and create a piece of music? David Mellor finds out and tells the whole story.

For A Few Dollars More...

What price a reputation? The Revox brand name is well established and very well respected, but the new model C278 8-track costs a lot more than the Fostex and Tascam equivalents. David Mellor asks whether it is worth the extra.

Is video a mystery to you? Would you like to dip a toe into its murky waters, or are you worried about getting out of your depth too quickly? In this new series David Mellor explains the essentials of synchronising audio to video, and finds out what it is like to upgrade a home studio to audio post-production standard.

Have you always wanted a 24-track studio but could never afford the gear? Well now, maybe you can. David Mellor looks at a package of equipment that offers 24 tape tracks at a budget price.

David Mellor unlocks the creative power of the reel-to-reel tape recorder.

David Mellor concludes his exploration of the world's most expensive musical instrument with an interview with a musician who can actually afford one, Simon Franglen.

PART 2: Timecode - much talked about but little understood - is of increasing importance to musicians and recording engineers. Whether you are synchronising audio to video, or MIDI to multitrack, at least a working knowledge of SMPTE/EBU is required. In the second part of this series, David Mellor explains what timecode is and how it is used.

MIDI-to-tape interfaces

Do you want to synchronise your sequencer to your multitrack? Or record MIDI data directly onto tape? David Mellor looks at two compact and versatile units from Musicsoft that allow you to do both.

David Mellor gets to grips with a multitrack cassette recorder, an autolocator, a 16-channel mixer, a MIDI-to-tape synchroniser and a MIDI mute processor - all rolled into one compact box called the Tascam 644.

Multi Effects Processor

David Mellor samples the delights of a multiple effects unit that can create up to nine high quality effects at the same time.

PART 3; David Mellor looks at how the requirements of different types of music for TV and film can dictate the sophistication of your synchronising capabilities, and at how machine synchronisation works in practice.

Modular Mixing Console

Does Soundcraft's new 200 Delta mixer succeed in being all things to all men? David Mellor finds out...

What makes one recording engineer better than another, and how can you improve your recording engineering skills? In this introduction to a new series on recording techniques, David Mellor outlines an engineer's role in the studio, and explains why a good engineer is so important.

In the fourth part of this series, David Mellor looks at the Fostex 4030/4035 synchroniser system, and how it is set up and operated.

The Professional's Keyboard?

Korg's follow-up to the successful M1 takes them further upmarket. David Mellor looks at an instrument for those willing to pay a little extra for the professional touch.